Chau Doc in the Mekong Delta of Vietnam is an important border town to Cambodia. A daily speedboat connection on the Mekong to Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia, is a main part infrastructure and conducive to trade. Its diverse population is also typical of the town. Khmer, Khmer-Cambodia, Cham and Vietnamese live harmoniously here and bring different cultural aspects in their daily life. The various religions like Hinduism, Buddhism, cross and crescent also lead a peaceful coexistence here.
By Thomas Vietnam at vemekong.com | An Giang Travel Guide
1. Amazing Drone 4K Video of Chau Doc Floating Village
2. Google Maps & How to Visit Chau Doc Floating Village By Yourself
Located to the west of Chau Doc city center, about 3 kilometers of riverway in the direction of upstream Mekong River in An Phu district, Chau Doc floating village is a freshwater fish farming village formed in the 60s of the last century. Since it is a tourist spot on the river and it is necessary to take a boat. Therefore, if you want to go to Chau Doc floating village, you must go to Chau Doc junction (about 500 meters from Chau Doc Victoria hotel) or Chau Giang wharf located across Chau Doc town to rent a boat. Boat rentals will have different price levels, depending on the visiting spots and the size of your group. Generally, you can be assured that the price is relatively reasonable. Top tip: Ask the hotel to help you out! If you hire a scooter or bicycle to get around and remember to reach Con Tien bridge which is a fantastic free spot to see the floating village from above.
3. What to Do & See at Chau Doc Floating Village
The simplest and best way to unlock the floating village is by taking a boat and going out to the Bassac river, a tributary of the Mekong River. You may love and smile with many locals who are taking a-rowing-sampan ferry from floating village to riversider market, teenagers and families on their own small long-tail boat for school! What a beautiful and carefree life! You can easily catch many photos of fisherman and river activities when you are cruising and exploring this hidden gem of Chau Doc. You will enter one of the floating houses through a porch. The locals will welcome you with the hospitality. They will open a flap in the ground and throw fish food from the bag standing next to it into the water under the house. Immediately a chaotic hustle and bustle start when the fish jump after the food. All the houses have nets underneath to breed fish, most of it Pangasius and Tilapia. Vietnam exports more than 1,42 million tons in 2018. The largest part is artificially bred here under the houses. It now contributes more to the yield than the naturally captured fish. Top tip: Interact with the locals to understand the process of raising fish in the river, join hands with them to feed the fish!
THE 8 BEST Chau Doc Daily Tours (from $29)
Tra Su Forest Tour from Chau Doc half day
Tra Su Forest & Chau Doc River Tour
Chau Doc River Tour & Small Canal
Chau Doc Tra Su Forest & Drop off in Can Tho
Chau Doc Tra Su Forest & Drop off in Ha Tien
Tra Su Forest & Sunset Sam Mountain by Motorbike half day
Chau Doc motorbike Countryside Tour & Sunset Sam Mountain
Chau Doc Loop Tour With Thomas 1 day (Cheaper, Better & Smarter)
Hotline/WhatsApp/WeChat/Zalo +84939888559
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4. Incredible Tips for Photography and Discovery
We believe that photos can tell more than a thousand words! To have amazing shots, you firstly take an early boat trip, that is the school and market-go time and life time! Absolutely, the fisherman and fishing net and row sampan ferry is much busier in the morning as well. Feeding time for fish is also in the morning. But the afternoon is great for golden hour and Mekong River reflection. Top tip: Better to do so at the dawn, because you will have beautiful powerful Mekong sunrise photos on the way to Chau Doc Floating Market before the floating village.
5. How Many Ways to Visit Cham Minority Village?
You can visit Cham village (Chau Giang and Chau Phong, the two famous Cham Muslim villages) by boat or by car, taking a boat is a priority choice. Just after the floating village, the boatman drives a little further and enters a village of the Cham via an adventurous wooden bridge. Many of the Cham people settled here. Their houses stand on high stilts, where you can see the high-water marks. Today, the Cham are Muslims and mainly earn their living by weaving and textile trade. You can see one of these looms in the very local factory. Top tip: Their products may be meaningful souvenirs for your trip. Don’t forget a visit to their mosques if you have time.
6. Best of Best idea with Chau Doc Floating Market Tour
Depend on how much time you have. If you did not make your trip to Can Tho floating market (Cai Rang one), after arriving from Cambodia, the from Chau Doc to Saigon. If so, Chau Doc floating market should be added to your wishlist. Yes, do all of this in one trip at the dawn! Make sure you get up and depart the boat for the floating market at 5-5:30am, before the sunrise is fine! Top tip: Staying in a walking distance hotel in Chau Doc town, riverside hotels which are so convenient get on and off the boat as well.
THE 8 BEST Chau Doc Daily Tours (from $29)
Tra Su Forest Tour from Chau Doc half day
Tra Su Forest & Chau Doc River Tour
Chau Doc River Tour & Small Canal
Chau Doc Tra Su Forest & Drop off in Can Tho
Chau Doc Tra Su Forest & Drop off in Ha Tien
Tra Su Forest & Sunset Sam Mountain by Motorbike half day
Chau Doc motorbike Countryside Tour & Sunset Sam Mountain
Chau Doc Loop Tour With Thomas 1 day (Cheaper, Better & Smarter)
Hotline/WhatsApp/WeChat/Zalo +84939888559
hello@vemekong.com
7. Chau Doc Floating Restaurant, Riverside Pubs
Chau Doc town is pretty small and about 20 minutes walking to explore the riverside where you may be interested in some floating restaurants from Sunrise, Victoria, Con Tien, Be Noi floating restaurant…Top tip: Take your own insect repellent if you want to have food or drink at the local riverside. We recommend you having food near or in your hotel. Set up the alarm or hotel morning call for your early trip if needed.
8. Chau Doc Riverside hotels facing the Floating Village
Yes! There are some good hotels in Chau Doc town and some riverside ones. Top tip: Chau Doc Victoria Riverside colonial style hotel gives a sweet sleep.
9. You will See the Same Floating Village with the Speed Boat uptream to Phnompenh Cambodia
Yes! But the speedboat is a speed viewing tour though. Nothing to compare with the tourist boat and many stops as well! Top tip: Take a window seat or find somewhere at the back for more opening spaces and views (too fast for photos), but it is near the engine noise.
10. Chau Doc Floating Village and its Challenges Now and Then
Chau Doc floating village was established in the 1960s and where to raise fresh fish. At the beginning, there were a few floating areas for raising fish. From the 1970s until 2005, the number of floating farms had grown more and more increasingly and been the fundamental point in An Giang’s economy. The most remarkable time of the village was from 1990 to 2005; the yield of fish was about 20,000 tons per year by that time. Nevertheless, the climate change, the hydro power plants, the high-tide flooding and water pollution on the Mekong River has badly affected the river life and the raising of fish in the village and the yield has been very unstable. That’s why the village is no longer full of floating farms. Top tip: Visit and find your own reasons to admire the optimistic life and their love for the magic mighty river.
THE 8 BEST Chau Doc Daily Tours (from $29)
Tra Su Forest Tour from Chau Doc half day
Tra Su Forest & Chau Doc River Tour
Chau Doc River Tour & Small Canal
Chau Doc Tra Su Forest & Drop off in Can Tho
Chau Doc Tra Su Forest & Drop off in Ha Tien
Tra Su Forest & Sunset Sam Mountain by Motorbike half day
Chau Doc motorbike Countryside Tour & Sunset Sam Mountain
Chau Doc Loop Tour With Thomas 1 day (Cheaper, Better & Smarter)
Hotline/WhatsApp/WeChat/Zalo +84939888559
hello@vemekong.com
11. Pro tips:
Best time to visit Chau Doc floating market, Long Xuyen floating market is from 5:30am-6:30am. I hope you have an amazing sunrise on the Mekong Delta river.
You can stay in a homestay which is near the floating market, this will help you out the best option. Then you can hire a scooter, car or bike and explore it by yourself, but you still need to hire a boat for the floating market tour.
If you plan to extend your travel to Chau Doc homestay, do not forget to bring mosquito repellent cream.
Visit Chau Doc or do any customized tours, please choose reputable providers with boat trips equipped with lifebuoys, jackets, motorcycle and cycling tours with the helmets and. Safety is a priority! Choose Chau Doc responsible tours which help you give back while traveling. It’s a cliché, but it’s true.
Chau Doc food & drink guide ranges from street food, authentic, fancy to fusion foods. As a tropical land of many fresh vegetables and homegrown gardens, which always make Chau Doc cuisines fresh, close to nature and very traditional. If you are a food lover, don’t hesitate to put other bites onto your food lists such as Bun Ca Chau Doc (the soft noodle is cooked with fish), Banh bo cake of Chau Doc, Sugar palm fruit, Caramelized and Braised Catfish, Grilled Rice-field Rat with Salt and Chili, Long Xuyen Broken Rice, Nui Cam Pancake, O Thum’s Chicken Grilled with Lime Leaves, Sour Soup with Siamese Mud Carp Soup & Sesbania Flower, Stir-fried Shrimp with Sesbania Flower, Phu Huong Beef Noodle Soup, Basa Fish Hotpot, Mam (Fermented Fish)…
Bring your hat, sunglasses, and sunblock, scarf to wear when visiting temples, pagodas, and the cathedral.
Bring the raincoat if you’re planning a trip to Chau Doc in the rainy season, as Chau Doc always looks fantastic in the full rain and full sun.
Chau Doc tourist attractions are magnificent itself, but if you have enough time, don’t forget to put other places onto your bucket lists such as Tra Su Cajuput forest & Birdwatching, Chau Doc Floating Village, Fish Farm & Cham Minority Village, Chau Doc floating market & small canal, Sam mountain, Tuc Dup hill, Chau Doc river tour, Chau Doc cycling tour, Chau Doc photography tour, Ta Pa Rice Fields, Vinh Te Canal, Seven-Mountain Ox Racing Festival, Tay An Pagoda, Chau Doc Market, The Lady Temple – The Ba Chua Xu Temple, Phuoc Dien Pagoda – Hang Pagoda, Thoai Ngoc Hau Tomb,
Hopefully, the above tips will help you to come up with a great plan for your adventure in Chau Doc, An Giang province, Mekong Delta, Vietnam. Have a safe trip!
“Sleep less, travel more, respect more” – Thomas Vietnam – Local travel expert.
Thank you
